


Solstice Night is for Family

by Penthesilea1623



Category: Dragon Age
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Solstice Night, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 03:26:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penthesilea1623/pseuds/Penthesilea1623
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after her battle with the Arishok, Anabel Hawke and Sebastian Vael celebrate Solstice Night together. Takes place in the All That Might Be universe.  A short one shot to say Happy Solstice (Holidays, Christmas, Hannukah, etc.) to everyone who's been kind enough to read and leave kudos and comments.</p><p>I wish all the best for everyone in 2014!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Solstice Night is for Family

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this Solstice Night celebration one shot based on the banter comment Aveline makes to Isabela about having missed her Solstice party. When I started to research it I discovered that according to the Thedas calendar there isn't such a thing.
> 
> In this AU there now is, and not only is there a Solstice Night it now extends a full eleven days culminating in the First Day celebration. This is the beauty of fanfiction.

Anabel had insisted on having a Solstice Day dinner party. She had in fact seemed surprised that there was even any question that she would, in spite of the fact that it had been little more a month since she’d fought the Arishok and nearly died. “Solstice Night is for family.” She’d said. “I’m not letting anything spoil that." She’d been so vehement that her companions agreed to the party, provided she let others do the purchasing and organizing. 

Sebastian had been puzzled by it. While Solstice Night was an important celebration in Starkhaven and the Free Marches it didn’t have anywhere near the importance Anabel seemed to place on it. It was merely the first night in the eleven day celebration that culminated in First Day. That was the day that you celebrated friends and family with visits and feasting. He had never heard of it being different in Fereldan. When he’d asked Fenris about it the elf had shrugged. 

“I do not know what the custom is in Fereldan, but even when she lived in Lowtown she would have such a gathering.” He explained. “Apparently it was always a special occasion for them when they were growing up. The first year they were in Kirkwall they didn’t celebrate it because her mother didn’t wish to. She was still mourning the loss of their home and of Hawke’s sister. I forget her name.”

“Bethany.” Murmured Sebastian. 

“Yes. By the following year she had met all of us. She announced one night at the Hanged Man that Solstice Night was for family and we were her family.” A ghost of a smile appeared on Fenris’ face at the memory. “She told us in no uncertain terms that she expected us all to be there. She brought so much evergreen into her Uncle’s house it looked as if you had wandered into the forests near Sundermount. I suspect she spent a great portion of the coin she’d saved for the expedition on the celebration.” 

Sebastian couldn’t help smiling. “That does sound like something she would do.”

“Hawke is not practical when it comes to her friends. That she risked her life to keep the Arishok from taking Isabela is a perfect example.” 

“There’s been no word of Isabela?” Sebastian asked.

“Varric believes she left on a ship bound for Antiva, but we have heard nothing further.”

Sebastian hoped she would return, if only for Anabel’s peace of mind. Anabel was convinced that she would, and seemed to hold no grudge for the pirate’s leaving. 

Still wondering about her insistence on holding the celebration he asked Gamlen about it when the man came to visit his niece. 

“How should I know?” Gamlen had grumbled. “It’s certainly not an Amell tradition. The fool girl stuffed my house with evergreens the one year she held it there. I couldn’t turn around in my own house without being poked or prodded by a stick. She wouldn’t stop singing carols. Bullied Leandra into cooking. Even insisted I be there. ‘Solstice Night is for family’. She’s made me tromp up to Hightown the last three years. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. She’s a pushy thing. I hope you know what you’re getting into. Downright bossy.” 

Sebastian didn’t take his complaints seriously. He’d seen how worried Gamlen had been both while Anabel was ill and during her recovery.

“You’ll be here for the party?” He asked, just to be certain.

Gamlen just scowled as he pulled a knit cap on his head as he prepared to leave. “Of course I will. Solstice Night is for family.” He said, and walked out the door.

Sebastian couldn’t help a small smile as he walked back to the library to finish up some correspondence while Anabel rested. At least Gamlen would be there. She’d at least have some family. Her parents and Bethany were both gone, and Carver was off with the Grey Wardens. It would be her first Solstice Day alone. He wished he could do something to change that, he thought as he went through the papers he'd brought from the Chantry. Most of them were early Solstice greetings to the Grand Cleric of the Free Marches, from every leader in the Free Marches. And not just the leaders. Almost anyone who held any position of authority had sent their regards. Elthina had the respect and the ear of all of them.

He froze suddenly and a then a smile came over his face. He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and wrote out the draft of a letter. He would show it to Elthina, for her approval and signature, but he couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t agree to it. 

 

Sebastian arrived early the night of the party. He greeted Bodahn and then walked into the main room, admiring the enormous evergreen tree that Varric had managed to procure and have delivered to the mansion. Bodahn, Orana and Sandal had begun decorating it more than a week before. Now all the candles were lit and it blazed brightly in the corner, reaching up almost to the ceiling. He couldn’t help but wonder how long it had taken for them to light them all. All manner of delicious smells were coming from the kitchen. Orana had been cooking for days. 

He heard Anabel singing before he saw her, a plaintive winter carol, and his eyes went to the stairs even before she appeared. When she did she quite took his breath away. 

She was a vision, wearing a dress of an iridescent gauzy silk that seemed to alternate between bronze and a russet red that played off the colors of her hair. The dress must be new, because it fit her perfectly and he wondered how she’d managed that without his knowing. It was cleverly designed with a ruched bodice which disguised how thin she gotten while she was ill. Only the prominence of her collar bone and cheekbones gave it away. Her hair was in an elaborate chignon, that looked almost too heavy for her slender neck to support, and she was wearing his grandmother’s locket.

She stopped singing abruptly when she saw him there, looking up at her. “You’re early.” She sounded surprised. 

“I’m sorry. I can leave and come back later, if you like.” He said with a teasing smile.

She blushed. “No. I didn’t mean that. What an awful hostess I am. I can just imagine my mother’s reaction if she’d heard that.” A fleeting shadow crossed her face, but then she gave him a brilliant smile. “You know you’re welcome here at any time.” She walked down the stairs as she spoke, slowly, carefully, reminding him of how far she had to go before she was truly recovered. Anders had only just permitted her to leave her bed again after the cold she’d gotten romping through the snow in the garden last week. He was tempted to go up and meet her halfway and help her but he knew she wouldn’t want that so he waited patiently at the bottom of the staircase and smiled down at her when she finally stood in front of him.

“I have a gift for you.” She announced. “But I didn’t have a chance to wrap it yet.”

“A gift?” He asked with a small frown. Was it a tradition in Fereldan to give gifts on Solstice Night? None of her companions had mentioned it.

“A birthday gift.” She went up on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “Happy Birthday.” 

He stared at her. He hadn’t mentioned his birthday to anyone. He hadn’t wanted to take away from her celebration. His birthday had never been an occasion that his family paid much attention to anyway, overshadowed as it was by the Solstice Night celebrations at court. After his grandfather had passed away even that small attention had faded to nothing more than murmured birthday wishes over breakfast, and when Sebastian had stopped bothering to appear at breakfast, preferring the warmth of his bed and whatever companion happened to be sharing it to the cold formality of the royal dining room it had ceased completely. “How did you even know it was my birthday?” He asked.

She couldn’t help laughing at his stunned expression. “You told me, silly. At the state dinner for the Orlesian ambassador.”

“That was months ago. I can’t believe you remembered.”

“Of course I remembered. Birthdays are important.” She held out her hand to him. “Come. Your present’s in the library. It’s not wrapped, as I said, so you’ll have to close your eyes.” He took her hand and let her lead him towards the library. She stopped at the door and gave him a reproving look. “Close your eyes.” She ordered.

Feeling slightly foolish, he did as she asked. A few steps in and she let go of his hand. “Stay there. And don’t open your eyes.” He heard her moving around, heard what sounded like a chest being opened. When she spoke again she was directly in front of him.

“This will either be the most fantastic present ever or an abysmal failure. I’m really hoping it’s the former. But it might be the latter. So don’t be too disappointed if it is. I’m just hoping my hunch was correct.”

“The best birthday gift you could give me is you, well and healing. Anything else is just an extra.” 

“You already have that. This is a real present. I hope. All right. Open your eyes.” He heard the apprehension in her voice and carefully prepared himself, determined to be thrilled with the gift whatever it was.

As it turned out he didn’t need to pretend at all. He opened his eyes and his mouth fell open.

That familiar face.

_Grandfather…_

Anabel had been watching him carefully and she laughed in delight. “It’s him isn’t it? It’s your grandfather?” 

She was standing in front of him holding his grandfather’s portrait. The small one, roughly the size of a folio book, the one that had hung in his grandmother’s sitting room while she was still alive. After her death, when his grandfather had joined the Chantry, it had been relegated to one of the reception rooms.

He took it from her and stared at it. Memories of time spent with his grandfather raced through his mind. Archery lessons, and fishing in the Minanter, and afternoons visiting with him in the Chantry. He turned back to her certain he must look as stunned as he felt. “Anabel…I don’t know what to say…” He looked back at the portrait. “Where did you find it?”

“I’ve had some feelers out among some of the less reputable people I know that if anyone had word of goods relating to the Starkhaven royals that I would be interested. I thought if the locket had been taken there might be other things that would turn up as well. When I saw this I thought…. Well, I wasn’t certain it was him but there was such a resemblance that I thought it was worth the risk.”

“How long have you had it?”

“Since Harvestmere. You don’t know how tempted I’ve been to give it to you before now.” 

He put it down on the desk, leaning it carefully against the wall and stepped back to look at it. “You are an amazing woman, Anabel Hawke.”

She shook her head denying it. “No. But I have moments when I do feel rather clever.” She walked over and stood beside him. “I have to confess this is one of them.” 

He didn’t take his eyes from the portrait even as his arm went around her pulling her close to him. She rested her head against his side. “Not just clever. Brilliant. Do you truly think I resemble him?”

“Oh yes. There are some small differences. His face is a bit wider, and of course the eye color is different. But the shape of the eyes. The cheekbones. The Vael nose, of course. Your mouth is wider though. Your lips are fuller.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve made quite a study of it.”

To his delight, she blushed bright pink. Seeing his grin she turned to face him and going slowly up on the tips of her toes she kissed him lightly, teasingly, until his hands reached out to slide around her waist and hold her there while he tasted her more thoroughly. He pulled back wondering at how important she had become to him so quickly. His eyes went to the locket she wore.

“There used to be a portraits in the locket, you know, miniatures. Of both my grandparents. My grandfather’s was a copy of this portrait.” 

“Truly?”

“Yes. Anabel…” He struggled to find the words. “I don’t know how to thank you for this. Just looking at it brings back so many memories.”

“Solstice Night is for family.”

“And you’ve given me back mine.” He murmured kissing the top of her head. “You always say that. Is it a Fereldan tradition?”

She looked up at him with a smile. “No. It’s a Hawke thing. Da and Leandra left Kirkwall for good on Solstice Night. Leandra was upset – understandably. She was leaving everything she knew and all her family behind. They were standing at the rail of the ship, watching Kirkwall fade away. Mother was crying. Maker, Da hated to see her cry. Hated to see any of us upset really. But he promised her then that they would always be together on Solstice Night, and that when they had children he’d make sure they were there as well. That no matter what happened, Solstice Night would always be for family.”

It all made sense then. Why they hadn’t celebrated the first year in Kirkwall, and why Anabel had been so insistent they celebrate this year. His arms tightened around her. “It’s a nice tradition.”

“Yes.” She agreed, leaning against him, more than happy to have this time with Sebastian before the others arrived. 

Boy, who had been snoozing by the fire in the other room suddenly started barking madly. He scrambled to his feet so quickly that he kicked up the rug on the hearth.

“Boy!” she turned to Sebastian as Boy continued his cacophony from the entryway. “It must be one of the others. I don’t know why he’s making such a fuss.” She said with a frown. The mabari sounded positively wild, and was now pawing at the door.

Sebastian had a smile on his face that she didn’t quite understand. “Perhaps you should see who it is?” He suggested.

With a frown she moved into the other room just as Bodahn was opening the door. As soon as there was enough space Boy went tearing through it. There was a crashing sound of metal on stone. 

“Andraste’s ass, get off me you crazy animal.” But the voice wasn’t angry. Boy was now whimpering and snuffling, punctuated by pleased sharp barks.

Anabel’s heart started racing. There was only one person that Boy reacted to like that. She turned to look at Sebastian, her eyes huge in her face.

His eyes were warm. “Solstice Night is for family.” He said with a smile.

She had only made it a couple steps into the room when Carver’s towering bulk filled the doorway. His eyes ran over her, taking in how frail she looked, and her uncertain expression as she watched him, no doubt remembering the last time they’d seen each other, that night the Qunari had attacked when he’d been such a bastard. Boy butted his head against his arm and Carver scratched the dog's head, not talking his eyes from his sister. Neither of them moved. 

“So.” He finally said. “You’re important enough now that the Grand Cleric of all the Free Marches writes to the Warden Commander and demands I be given leave to spend the Solstice with you?”

Her eyes flashed to Sebastian. She understood the smile now. She turned back to Carver with tears in her eyes but her own smile on her face. “Apparently I am. I hope you’re impressed.”

“By you? Doubtful.” He took a step in and looked around the room. “Nice mansion. Kind of gaudy. And what the Void are you wearing?” 

“It’s called a dress. I’m sure you’ve seen them before, though the women you know probably wear much skimpier ones.” 

“Gone all girly on me then.” 

“Could be. I can still kick your ass though.”

He scoffed. “Not bloody likely.”

“I beat the Arishok. In single combat.” She boasted.

“Barely. I heard he nearly cut you in half.”

“Only a little.” She said, lifting her chin.

“I heard you were nearly done in by an infection. That you spent weeks in bed recovering.”

“Just feeling lazy. You should understand that, the way you loaf around doing nothing.”

“I heard you nearly died.” His voice broke on the last word and Sebastian saw his hands curl into fists at his sides.

He saw Anabel swallow hard. “It was just a pathetic cry for attention. Childish, really.”

“You’re an idiot. You know that, right?”

“And you’re an ass. You know that, right?” 

And then she was running and flinging herself at him and all he could do was catch her and hold her while she sobbed.

He just held her tighter. “What are you crying for you daft cow?” He demanded, but he didn’t sound all that displeased by it and he didn’t put her down.

She just tightened her arms around his neck. “Maker knows. Obviously my fever caused some permanent damage to my brain. No one else would cry because they got to see such a horse’s ass again.” And then they were both crying, though Carver would later deny it vehemently. 

Sebastian stepped back into the library to give them some privacy for their reunion. He walked over to the desk and looked at the portrait of his grandfather.

Solstice Night was for family.

It was a good tradition.

**Author's Note:**

> inspiration pictures and other dragon age ramblings, including pictures of Anabel's dress and Sebastian's grandfather's portrait can be found on my tumblr.
> 
>  
> 
> [All That Might Be photo/style references](http://penthesilea1623.tumblr.com/search/all+that+might+be)


End file.
